Whether you are an athlete looking to climb higher, an average exerciser rehabbing an injury or just looking to get started at the gym, personal training might be your best get-fit option.

Nancy Carlson of Get Fit New Hampshire in Concord and Epsom (voted Best of the Best Fitness Instructor in the Hippo Reader’s Poll in 2014) says the benefits are “individualistic.”

She said they can vary from someone working on rehabilitation after physical therapy to a mom looking to get in better shape after having kids to a triathlete who aspires to be in an ironman.

“It’s really structured. Having someone else watching you, who knows what the body is capable of — no matter what state [the client’s] body is in — they are able to prescribe where you can be, should be and are currently,” Carlson said.

She said trainers help people get from point A to point B effectively and efficiently. She notes some people can follow a program to get from point to point, but they may not be doing it the best way.

There are other ways in which trainers can help too, Carlson said.

“Accountability is huge. Motivation is another factor we can give to them. Making things fun,” Carlson said. “Sometimes the training is not the most enjoyable, but if we can do it with a smile, with a joke, with a light atmosphere, people will want to come back. They’re not going to dread it.”

Carlson also said trainers can help beyond the gym, giving advice on things like nutrition, sleep and activities that can complement a gym workout.

Lisa Maria-Booth, owner and trainer at Fortitude Health and Training in Manchester, said personal training is great for people who can’t stay committed to the gym.

She said trainers can design workouts around client limitations, like a bad back, and programs can be specifically tailored to certain goals, like an upcoming race or a vacation.

“They can do a shorter personal training session, so they can dig in and focus on their goals for that particular time coming up,” Maria-Booth said.

People who are new to exercise or need to build self-confidence before joining a group workout can benefit from personal training as well, Maria-Booth said. Additionally, trainers can provide clients with a list of exercises so they aren’t lost wandering around the gym and will know what to do on their own.

“It’s definitely expensive, but people make that commitment [and] the results are fantastic,” Maria-Booth said.

She said finding the right trainer for you is important too, and noted the most solid, reputable gyms will have trainer biographies on their websites. Fortitude does a lengthy questionnaire with new clients to make sure they are matched up with the right trainer. You don’t want to have an out-of-shape 60-year-old woman paired with a 23-year-old power lifter, Maria-Booth said.